Aura of Fire
by Mrs.Mercer500
Summary: His fists clutched; his jaw clenched; his entire body stood in one place. He felt an insufferable pain scorching his body. It was like he was being burned alive right where he stood. Reid/OC Set after movie
1. Stiff Pain

Disclaimer: Don't own, didn't happen.

It was another one of those nights. The full moon was out; the clouds were scattered throughout the sky hiding the stars away from Reid's eyes. A fog was formed a few feet below the cliff, and the sound of loud music could be heard playing faintly in the distance. Another beginning of the school year party. It was a Spenser tradition, so it seemed. Not that Reid minded. There was always that sea of girls he would swim in, looking for the right one to take back to his dorm room. Although, tonight he didn't feel like picking up any girls, like he normally would. Something in his stomach made him wish he had never even come along.

"Dude, you gonna come or what?" Tyler's voice interrupted his thoughts,

"Yeah, yeah," Reid replied.

He stepped off the edge of the cliff and fell into the misty fog below. Cold wind blew through his blond locks as he fell; his skin felt it would freeze as the temperature sailed under his clothes. When Reid's feet landed on the ground, he immediately broke out into a walk, filing in beside Pouge, a long-haired boy with a leather jacket.

"Is it me, or has it gotten colder?" Tyler asked as he came beside Reid,

"It's colder," Pouge answered, stuffing is hands in his jacket,

"No," Caleb, a muscled dark-haired boy, answered, "That cliff was just high up. Don't you realize how much warmer it is down here than up there?"

"Yeah, but it ain't much," said Pouge.

Reid nodded. His body did loosen its stiffness as it gained its warmth back. He looked ahead to see a large fire glowing. Shadowy figures, what he assumed were partygoers, took up most of the light from their dancing. The music was getting louder as he approached it.

When they arrived in the party, several people waved to him or called out his name as he passed by. Yes, this was his life. Going to an expensive school; having lots of friends; girls swooning over his charm, but yet, something inside Reid remained unsatisfied. Anyone else would have been fine with just the money and the girls. Reid, however, wanted something more. He did not want another night of finding someone he'd only like for one night, and then go back to ignoring them the next day. He wanted someone to hold; kiss, and feel gently the way they would want to be felt. Reid wanted someone to laugh with; talk to, and would be around him no matter what happened. He wanted, needed, someone to make him feel whole.

"Hey," Kate's voice was heard of the pumping music,

She, and Sarah, a pretty blond girl, walked towards them. Sarah came straight into Caleb's strong arms, while Kate wrapped herself around Pouge as he lifted her up. Reid watched them kiss. It wasn't fair. Why did they get to have good girls like them, while he got stuck with people who did not care about him? Reid thought he deserved a girl like them too. He had been through enough, hadn't he?

"We want you to meet someone," Kate told them, leaving the group for a moment,

"Who is she bringing?" Pouge asked Sarah,

"Our new friend."

Soon, Kate returned. This time, she had someone moving alongside her. Reid's heart stopped. His fists clutched; his jaw clenched; his entire body stood in one place. He felt an insufferable pain scorching his body. It was like he was being burned alive right where he stood. His eyebrows furred together as he tried to conceal his pain, but Pouge noticed.

"It's alright," He whispered, "I feel it too."

Reid looked up and saw her. She was small; her hair was a helmet of chestnut brown curls; her skin was pale, but had some color to it. Her outfit awed Reid slightly. A pink sweater with a black skirt that revealed his slender legs, while her boots crunched the grass she walked on. She reminded Reid of a little porcelain doll, like the ones his mother collected. As this girl came closer to him, the burning in his body worsened.

"Guys," Kate said, but Reid found it hard to concentrate on the dark-skinned girl, "This is Ellison Weber."

"Call me Ellie," She smiled.

How could she smile when she hurt him so much? Reid yearned for a chance to scream out in the smoldering stinging he was feeling. Tyler stood closer to him, leaning into his ear.

"What the hell is going on?" He said through gritted teeth,

"I don't know."

Reid kept his eyes on Ellie. Just looking at her hurt him. When their eyes locked, not only did he see an apologetic look, but a thin line of red on the inside of her green iris. He felt the searing pain die down very little when she looked away from him and at Caleb.

"It's nice to meet you, Ellie," Caleb said, grinning at her. Did this not affect him at all? "I'm Caleb. This is Pouge, Tyler and Reid."

Reid nodded to her. He could barely move his lips, let alone his head. The burning nearly paralyzed him. Everyone else began talking to her other than him and Tyler. He could tell Tyler was trying his best to look away from Ellie without being obvious. Maybe the two of them should leave to get away from this…this aura of fire the girl was giving off.

"Danvers," A voice called from not to far away.

Aaron Abbot and his two cronies walked up to them. He had a wicked grin on his face that completely predicted what he was bothering them for. Reid growled to himself. The pain alone was unbearable, why did he have to make it worse?

"What do you want, Aaron?" Caleb asked,

"I just wanted to introduce myself to your new friend," He turned to Ellie, a disgusting flirtation in his eyes, "Hi. I'm Aaron."

"Ellie,"

When Aaron walked closer to Ellie, Reid felt a degree of anger fester inside of him. He knew this game all too well, because he played it himself. Trying to be nice to the sweet, oh-so- naïve girl so she'll sleep with him. Reid was not sure why, but he felt like whipping up all his ability to fling Aaron halfway across the field away from Ellie. He did not want an egotistical, cocky scumbag like Aaron Abbot trying to taint something as pure as Ellie. As a matter of fact, he did not want Aaron around Ellie at all.

"You know," Aaron said to her, "You'll be much better off if you hung around a guy like me. People would respect you more if they saw you on my arm, and since you are pretty, I'll give you a shot. Whadda say?"

"Um, sorry,"Ellie said, backing away from him, "I'm not interested."

"Oh come on," Aaron pressed, "Don't be like that. I promise I'll be really nice."

"I'll be fine on my own, honestly."

"Well, maybe you shouldn't be-"

Reid stepped in between them as Aaron stepped to Ellie. He did not know what forced him to do it, especially with the sensation still filling his body, but he had. "She said she wasn't interested Aaron,"

"This ain't any of your business Garwin,"

"It is when you mistreat a girl you don't even know. She told you she doesn't want you, so get the fuck out of here." He gave the other boy a slight push, and Aaron's eyes filled with rage.

"Who the fuck do you think-"

With a simple flash of his eyes, Aaron's friend began spewing vomit right on Aaron's back. Reid moved back as the vomiting continued, seeing Ellie smile at him thankfully. His body twitched as his once subsided torture returned. The music was put to a halt and a voice came over the speakers. Once the words "Cops of Oakdale Road" came through, a flood of people began hurrying through the forest behind the clearing to their cars. The entire atmosphere of the party changed from carefree to panic. It did not bother Reid one minute.

The group began moving quickly with the crowd, talking about who was meeting with who in the dormitory later. Reid did not speak through this conversation. He was too focused on how the level of his suffering decreased the further Ellie was from him, and how it increased when she came closer. When he finally thought it was leaving him, the twinge shot back with a vengeance.

"Thank you," Ellie's voice said to him, "That guy was a creep."

"No problem," He grunted, not making eye contact with him.

They stopped by Tyler's Hummer, and planned to get away from Ellie as fast as he could, but her tiny hand pulled him back.

"Ah!" He let out softly.

"I'm so sorry," She whispered to him, letting go quickly, "It's just what I am. I can't help it."

He stared at her, completely confused. Ellie lifted her hand to touch his cheek, but then brought it back down. He watched her walk away from him to Sarah's car, counting the steps to see how far it would take for the pain to go away.

It took her fifteen steps and the metal of Sarah's car just to allow his body to move.


	2. The Aura

Disclaimer: Don't own, didn't happen.

The affect Ellie had on Reid had left him physically, but not mentally. Reid could not understand how this tiny person could have such a torturous effect on him. What was she? How was it possible for her to make them feel like that, but not anyone else? Did she know about them? Is that why she apologized? Reid had so many questions to ask, yet he did not know if he had the courage to ask her herself. Ellie was unlike any other girl he had seen before. Not because she was beautiful, all the girls he met were, but because there was something about her that made him nervous, possibly even frightened.

'_She's just a girl,'_ He thought to himself late at night in his bed, _'It's not like she could kill you.'_

Or could she?

*~*~*~*~*

The next morning, Reid arrived in his Literature class to find someone had taken the seat beside him. It wasn't Jennifer, the gorgeous, tanned brunette he occasionally flirted with, but Ellie. She was sitting in Jennifer's seat, minding her own business while she read, whereas Jennifer was nowhere to be seen. Reid clutched his stomach as it knotted. He was now going to endure the same anguish he had the previous night. Ellie would be burning him alive without even having to touch him. He wondered if it was too late to skip.

"Please take your seats."

Ellie was too absorbed in her book to notice him walking to her. Once again, the blistering pain of fire rushed over his body. He tried to remain calm as his body became stiff, and his legs were making it harder for him to reach his seat. Reid watched Ellie, like she would cast some kind of spell on him if he made any sudden movements. Her curls shined in the light coming from the window; her face was illuminated as it concentrated on the book in her hands. She reminded Reid of a Greek Goddess. The way her looks captured him so easily, but how much being around her killed him. His fists tightened until the knuckles had turned pale white, the pain escalating as he stood in front of the row.

She finally looked up at him, and he winced. Her eyes widened when she realized who she was really looking at.

"Hi," She said softly while he sat at the very edge of his seat, "I'm sorry…again."

Ellie turned away from him as class started. He did not even bother listening as the teacher gave his lecture. Reid was too worried about his life right then to care about Shakespeare or Marlow. The pain continued to convulsive through his body as he clutched the side of his desk. Droplets of sweat ran down his temples through the two hours he sat in the class. His entire body was stiffer than a board, and the fiery consciousness had him nearly wanting to scream and beg for mercy. Reid wanted the pain to stop, but he did not want Ellie to leave.

A small piece of notebook paper caught his attention.

'Go take a cold shower after class, or go for a swim. You'll feel better,' the note read in pink ink, 'Trust me.'

Reid stared at Ellie, despite the intense pain it was bringing him. She did not look at him, but he knew she saw him. Ellie was aware of what was happening to him, and he wanted to know why. Slowly, he grabbed a pen and scribbled down a note behind Ellie's.

'What are you? Why are you doing this to me?'

When he received the note back, it read, 'Meet me at the pool. I can answer your questions, and you can answer mine.'

What questions did she have for him? He had never given her any reason to think he was a warlock, or that any of the guys were either. Reid looked across the room at Caleb, who stared at him worriedly. How was it he did not feel this, but Tyler and him did? Was it because he had ascended, and they had not? Pouge was close to ascending, and he gave little signs he felt anything.

Tyler, on the other hand, looked worse than he did. His body was shaking with pain, and he was trying his best to hide the strained expression on his face with his book. Reid wanted to take him; leave to go to the pool. Surely, Tyler was going to need to cold more than he did.

Once the bell rang, Reid took Tyler by the collar and whispered Ellie's advice to bathe in some cold water. Tyler nodded and headed down to their dorm once they reached the hallway. Reid, however, strode to the locker room as fast as he could.

*~*~*~*~*~*

The pool was empty. The Olympic sized pool looked cold and inviting as Reid walked along it in his swim trunks. He dropped his towel on the nearby bench and stepped onto the diving board. The water was clear; the early morning sunlight was reflected in the water. Reid's entire body ached from the prolonged exposure to Ellie. He just wanted to lighten the heavy throbbing that had taken over his body and get back to feeling at ease again. Taking a deep breath, he dove headfirst into the frozen water.

It was like thousands of ice packs had been strapped to his body and Reid could not anything but bask in it. He did not even feel the temperature of the water pinch at his skin or his body close up from the sudden heat change. Reid let himself float back up to the surface, too alleviated to care about much.

He gasped for air and ran a hand through his soaked hair. When he opened his eyes, she was standing there.

"Hi," Ellie said.

Reid's eyes could not tear away from the black, one-piece bathing suit she was wearing. It was form-fitting; it did nothing to cover up her cleavage. Her legs were smooth and her skin was soft. She really was, in his eyes, the most beautiful woman in the world.

"Hi," He said to her.

Ellie went onto the board and dived in. When she reached the surface, she swam to him. What stroke Reid as odd was that he did not feel one ounce of pain. He felt comfortably warm, even in the freezing water, but his muscles were relaxed and his body moved fine. When he looked into her eyes, the red rim he had seen the other night was now a golden hazel.

"Now, don't you feel a lot better in here?" Ellie said with a smile,

"Yeah, but why? What are you doing to me?" He swam to her until they were a foot apart from each other,

"_I'm_ not doing anything," Ellie emphasized, "Not intentionally, anyways. It's in my blood. That fiery feeling you get when you're around me is a spell one of my ancestors used to ward of warlocks,"

"What are you-"

"I come from Salem. 300 years ago, there was an abundance of witches than warlocks there. There hadn't been any tension between the men or the women, since they were all hiding from the same threat. However, when the witch hunts started, the men saw this as their chance to gain control over the women. They started witch hunting parties; they'd go up to doors and drag the women to court where they'd be sentenced. They would have their daughters accuse them, because it reassured a hanging. Of course, most of the women denied it.

"My Great-Grandmother, Sarah Weber, had had enough of it after her husband, a warlock, had accused her of witchcraft. She created a spell, among a few others, that would keep warlocks from coming near them. It was somewhat like a protection spell. It would make the men feel as if they were on fire if they stepped to close to one of the women. She passed this along to all the other women in our coven. Soon, the men began to back away from them,

"However, Sarah didn't realize her spell was undoable. When she remarried and had children, her daughters had the same aura around them. It continued on for more generations, the aura getting large through each new Weber."

Reid stared at her. He was unsure what to say. This definitely explained to him why there were no girls with his abilities in Ipswich. They all had been nearly wiped out by their own kind. Reid glided to her, now inches away. Playfully, Ellie moved smoothly away from him with a wicked smile on her face.

"Alright," Reid grinned, "Why does it affect Tyler and me so much?"

"Because you haven't ascended yet, and you're far from it. It doesn't affect Caleb as much as you both because he's already ascended; Pouge only feels a tingle because he's getting stronger."

"But then, how did the aura protect your grandmother?"

"The aura was more powerful back then. If the man was too close for a long time, or the woman touched him, he could burst into flames or turn to ash. How do you think she got rid of her husband?"

"So, if I spent too much time with you, I could die?" Reid said, his eyes widened,

"Well, depends on the length. Two hours isn't that bad compared to two weeks, or two months. I would have to spend my entire day around you in order for you to turn into ash."

"Oh. Then, if this aura is so great, then how come I'm not feeling it now like I did in class?"

"The coldness of the water is protecting you from me. Any type of cold atmosphere dilutes my aura. If we were somewhere hotter, you'd probably be dead soon."

Her capability of being straight-forward amazed Reid. Most people would have found ways to get around the death part, but here was little Ellie telling him the facts directly. He watched her as she sailed through the water, relaxing as she shut her eyes. His attention fell on the skin of her neck, seeing droplets of water run down red lines that rested under her skin.

"And," Reid spoke, "Is the cold the reason you're veins are red instead of blue?"

"Yes," She said, without looking at him, "The cold doesn't just affect my aura, it affects me too. I'm freezing to death just being in here."

"Do you want to get out?"

"No."

"Why?"

Ellie swam closer to him, floating inches away from him. Her eyes caught his easily, their green color mesmerizing him. Was her beauty an illusion or a natural entity? Reid could not decide. He would have asked her if he had not noticed the warmth he was now feeling in the water.

"Because I know if we get out, you'll be in pain again, and I don't want that…"

There was a moment of silence between them. Reid was not sure how to react to this. Ellie actually cared if she hurt him; she was putting him before herself. He felt a light feeling in his stomach, but he tried to cover it with his intent gaze on her. She was incredible. Everything about her was. He could see that now that she had cleared a few things up for him. Reid put his fingertips to her skin; he grinned a bit when she gasped at his touch. Apparently, the aura did not make her body itself warm, just the atmosphere around it. Reid was glad for that. He thought it would be unfair if he could not touch her because his hand might burn off.

The quietness was comfortable. The pool was at ease, with the exception of the water rippling whenever Reid and Ellie moved. Reid could do nothing but think about Ellie. Her aura had drawn him to her, and as deadly as it was, he wanted to be around her. Something about Ellison Weber made him, Reid Garwin, wish he could spend the rest of his life there in the pool with her.

"I had some questions for you too," Ellie said, breaking the silence.

"What?"

"What is that thing?"

"What thing?"

"That black cloud that keeps following me..."


End file.
